This really isn't a yes or no question, and it can only be answered fully in an open ended format. However, to try to fit my answer in, I am going to need a bit more information.
Are you saying on the grand scheme of things? If you are, then the answer is no, because on the grand scheme, nothing is important, not humans, not us as individuals, not the lions or the polar bears.
Or are you saying to us as individuals? if so, then yes. If humans didn't exist, we, as humans, wouldn't exist. Many domesticated animals either wouldn't exist, would have died out a long time ago, or would be so drastically different that they wouldn't be recognizable.
I need a bit more clarification.
I never really considered them like that. Each living being Is unique in its own way. Without other lifeforms, Humans wouldn't have survived or even existed In the first place !!!!
Uh... well... depends on how you look at it. I mean, humans cannot survive without animals and stuff. Our systems just aren't built to function without meat and the other products animals provide us with. And, a lot of animals may not have survived without us. If you had to choose which one was to survive as a race/group, it would be impossible to choose because either way, at least part of one would die out. Humans can only survive for so long on tofu and carrots.
HikaruNotKaoru I have been a vegetarian (almost vegan) for most of my life, so has my dog. And I am telling you, both of us are doing better then we were before we stopped eating animals. Also, I know several people who are vegetarian or vegan and are doing fine. Some people have never eaten meat... so, yeah. You may want to eat meat but you don't have to to survive. Just Google it. I like animals way better anyway. People suck 99.9% of the time.
ITF there is also other stuff that animals provide for us. And early humans certainly weren't vegans. We would not have survived to today without animals. Why else would God have given animals to us? (Well, not cats and stuff, but those have their uses.) And, I guess this also depends on religion. And other ethical stuff. And if you're a vegetarian. So, yeah, it depends.
Nothing is important at all. Absolutely nothing. Not humans, not other animals, nothing.
I say no because we're all equally unimportant and insignificant. Everything is.
Definitely not!!! I hate when people talk like it's terrible when something happens to people, but if it's other animals then it's "JUST" animals. People who see us as gods and them as nothing really annoys me
We are all of equal importance in the world. There is so much truth in this quote from The Lion King. "We are all connected in the Great Circle of Life." Whether you believe in God or not, all living things are connected in one way or another. All living things are equally important in the food chain, too. If one species went extinct, others would suffer. We as humans rely on many species for many beneficial things.
In the grand scheme of things? No. This is especially true if you look it from an ecological perspective, because like ChilliPepper said, every species relies on the existence of the rest. Taking away just one type of animal could create grievous imbalances.
Also consider it on an astronomical scale. You live on a SPECK floating around an average star, in a galaxy with around 100 BILLION stars, most of which have their own planets, in a universe where we can see BILLIONS of galaxies. Yet some people think humans are the centre of it all, in a universe made for them. A great example of human ignorance and arrogance.
So no, humans aren't more important than other beings. That being said, individually, is a human life worth more than the that of a single animal? I believe so, and most would say the same (even if they deny it). A simple test: if you could only save only one, would you save a person or a frog? A human or a rabbit? And so on. An individual human life is more important, by virtue of their higher consciousness, their personality, the effort that has gone into nurturing them, the relatives and friends that will grieve them, etc.
@PrincessTale The individual level you explained so nicely is the reason I didnt take sides. cause it depends on the scale you were looking at it on. I just couldnt word it properly XD
No. I believe all life is equally important on Earth. There's a reason why the concept of 'ecosystems' exists, because it shows the relationships between the different organisms on Earth. We're all a part of that, as organisms.
What worries me is that a lot of humans do seem to feel like they are more important than everything else, even other humans. I won't explain my feelings of importance about humans as individuals, either, because I may insult someone. I think we just treat the planet like it doesn't really matter that much, as long as we benefit from the resources it gives us. I really wish we didn't.
I would also like to point out about James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis. The idea that everything is inter-connected, which works well with the ecosystems concept. Drawing the concept of inter-connection at an even greater level and showing how everything works. I won't explain more than that right now, because it would probably become far too long and become an essay that no-one will want to read.
So, no, I think everything is equally important, yet inconsequential at the same time.
@Riku- On second thoughts, imma take your lead and not pick a side, because I can't be sure on which 'scale' this question refers to- It could be either depending on how you look at it.
Are you saying on the grand scheme of things? If you are, then the answer is no, because on the grand scheme, nothing is important, not humans, not us as individuals, not the lions or the polar bears.
Or are you saying to us as individuals? if so, then yes. If humans didn't exist, we, as humans, wouldn't exist. Many domesticated animals either wouldn't exist, would have died out a long time ago, or would be so drastically different that they wouldn't be recognizable.
I need a bit more clarification.
I say no because we're all equally unimportant and insignificant. Everything is.
Also consider it on an astronomical scale. You live on a SPECK floating around an average star, in a galaxy with around 100 BILLION stars, most of which have their own planets, in a universe where we can see BILLIONS of galaxies. Yet some people think humans are the centre of it all, in a universe made for them. A great example of human ignorance and arrogance.
So no, humans aren't more important than other beings. That being said, individually, is a human life worth more than the that of a single animal? I believe so, and most would say the same (even if they deny it). A simple test: if you could only save only one, would you save a person or a frog? A human or a rabbit? And so on. An individual human life is more important, by virtue of their higher consciousness, their personality, the effort that has gone into nurturing them, the relatives and friends that will grieve them, etc.
What worries me is that a lot of humans do seem to feel like they are more important than everything else, even other humans. I won't explain my feelings of importance about humans as individuals, either, because I may insult someone. I think we just treat the planet like it doesn't really matter that much, as long as we benefit from the resources it gives us. I really wish we didn't.
I would also like to point out about James Lovelock's Gaia hypothesis. The idea that everything is inter-connected, which works well with the ecosystems concept. Drawing the concept of inter-connection at an even greater level and showing how everything works. I won't explain more than that right now, because it would probably become far too long and become an essay that no-one will want to read.
So, no, I think everything is equally important, yet inconsequential at the same time.
Animals and humans alike
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